TAMPA, FL. Inspectors visiting Circles Bistro on North Dale Mabry Highway during the week of May 11 found no person in charge performing duties, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock identification records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, six high-severity violations in a single visit that placed it at the top of this week's list across all 15 Tampa facilities flagged.
That same stretch produced serious findings at restaurants from Westchase to South Tampa, at a national chain on Dale Mabry, at a golf club, and at a bar and grill on Sheldon Road.
What Inspectors Found
Madison 2.0 on North Howard Avenue drew five high-severity citations, including missing shell stock records, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and no person in charge present. The facility also had improper handwashing technique documented.
Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen on North Dale Mabry, a national chain location, also accumulated five high-severity violations. Inspectors cited an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
True Food Kitchen at Midtown Tampa drew five high-severity violations as well, including no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, missing shellfish traceability records, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored or used toxic substances.
Predalina on East Cumberland Avenue matched that count with five high-severity violations and zero intermediate violations. Among the citations: no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness, missing shell stock identification, and a violation for time not being properly used as a public health control, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without adequate documentation of how long it had been there.
Woods Bar and Grille on Sheldon Road was cited for four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities among the three intermediate violations.
Compass Group USA Inc. on Henderson Road drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, unsanitized food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Bubba's 33 on South Falkenburg Road was cited for missing shellfish records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, no consumer advisory, and improperly identified or stored toxic substances. The parasite destruction violation is among the more acute findings of the week: without proper freezing or cooking protocols for fish, parasites including Anisakis can survive to infect customers.
Westchase Golf Club on Westchase Golf Drive received four high-severity citations, including no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. The combination of missing infrastructure and documented technique failures means proper hand hygiene was not possible regardless of intent.
Monserrate Rest Bar and Grill on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, missing shell stock records, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Pane Rustica on South MacDill Avenue drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
China Wok on US Highway 301 was cited for no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
China Yuan Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue received four high-severity citations: improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Osaka Sushi and Grill on North Dale Mabry drew three high-severity and four intermediate violations. High-severity citations included improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. Intermediate violations included improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, improper wiping cloth use, inadequate toilet facilities, and equipment in poor repair.
Good Taste on North Florida Avenue rounded out the list with three high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and single-use items being reused.
What These Violations Mean
The consumer advisory violation appeared at twelve of the fifteen facilities this week. Without a posted advisory, customers who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or very young have no warning that raw or undercooked items on the menu carry elevated risk of foodborne illness. That disclosure requirement exists precisely for those populations, who face the most severe outcomes from pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli.
The shellfish traceability failures documented at Circles Bistro, Madison 2.0, True Food Kitchen, Predalina, Monserrate, Bubba's 33, and Osaka Sushi and Grill are a distinct category of concern. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or barely cooked. Shell stock identification records are the mechanism that allows regulators to trace a contaminated harvest back to a specific body of water if customers fall ill. Without those records, the chain of accountability breaks.
Handwashing violations at Circles Bistro, Madison 2.0, Pei Wei, Westchase Golf Club, China Wok, China Yuan, Osaka, and Good Taste were not simply failures to wash hands. Inspectors documented improper technique, meaning employees made an attempt but did not perform the steps that actually remove pathogens. Studies show that incorrect technique can leave hands nearly as contaminated as unwashed hands.
The food from unapproved source citations at Monserrate, Pane Rustica, China Yuan, and Good Taste represent a traceability failure of a different kind. Food purchased outside licensed, inspected suppliers has bypassed the USDA and FDA safety systems entirely. If a customer becomes ill, there is no supplier record to pull, no lot number to trace, no recall mechanism that applies.
The Longer Record
China Yuan Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue enters this week's findings with 38 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Despite that volume of regulatory contact, inspectors this week still documented food from an unapproved source and improperly stored chemicals alongside handwashing failures. Circles Bistro, with 34 prior inspections, posted the most high-severity violations of the week at six.
Good Taste on North Florida Avenue has 33 prior inspections and drew citations this week for food from an unapproved source and improper sewage disposal. Pane Rustica on South MacDill has 31 prior inspections and also received an unapproved food source citation. Osaka Sushi and Grill, also at 31 inspections, accumulated the most total violations of any facility this week at seven.
Monserrate on West Hillsborough Avenue has 29 prior inspections. This week's record includes food from an unapproved source and missing shellfish records, two violations with direct traceability consequences. Woods Bar and Grille and Westchase Golf Club each carry 27 prior inspections, and both received citations this week in the employee health and sanitation categories.
At the newer end of the spectrum, True Food Kitchen at Midtown Tampa had only 9 prior inspections before this week's five high-severity citations. Madison 2.0 on Howard Avenue had 10. Both facilities are relatively early in their inspection histories and are already accumulating serious findings in management oversight and food handling categories.
Predalina on East Cumberland Avenue, with 14 prior inspections, was cited for time not being properly used as a public health control, a violation that requires a facility to actively track how long food has been sitting in the temperature danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees. That documentation was not in place.